The photo was taken by Associate Professor of Political Theory, Dr Sophie Smith, who also suggested four male security guards in the photo had made the cleaner remove the graffiti as they stood by and watched.

Oxford University apologised in a reply to the tweet, saying the situation “should never have happened”.

We are deeply sorry for this and for offence caused. International Women's Day is hugely important to Oxford. This should not have happened.

Dr Smith then suggested some further actions that could be taken to mitigate the incident.

I appreciate your apology, but far more importantly can you please make sure that the woman asked to remove the message receives a heartfelt apology, a warm cup of tea, the rest of the day off and, along with all our precarious staff, good enough pay to live in this city.